Important Stuff

oyceter has announced the date of International Blog Against Racism Week: August 6-12. I really want to participate, though I don't know what I could blog about. I'm decidedly unknowledgable on racism, and I need to research it while at the same time trying to get through a gigantic to-read list.

And in other news, the contacts still feel weird. It's like having glasses in my eyes; there's a glassy overlay over my vision sometimes and I have to blink consciously to get rid of it. Hrm. I wore the new white ballet flats today to Costco and rubbed my feet raw. I love the flats to death though, and it took longer than forever to find a pair that fit so I'm loath to return them. Stupid small feet.

The Final Key & Ascendant Sun, by Catherine Asaro

The Final Key: Part Two of Triad
by Catherine Asaro
348 pages (hardcover)
Genre: Fiction/SF

This was the first of Asaro's books I read, as Alpha homework. Despite being part of a larger saga and the second of a set within that series, everything made perfect sense and I loved it. The exposition is a bit shocking with all the technical details, as I don't read SF often (unfortunately, Asaro's fantasy series doesn't look promising). I would label this hard SF, but it focuses heavily on character (and other books in the saga focus on romance). However--there are non-annoying, plausible empaths! And superior upper-class characters that work! (In multiple senses of the word.) I did yearn to learn more about the Trader Empire and hear their side of the story, because if someone were to start in the middle with this novel, the Traders are painted as very black and evil. But...

Ascendant Sun
by Catherine Asaro
367 pages (paperback)
Genre: Fiction/SF

This book, which follows a very different protagonist and storyline from The Final Key, presents a wonderful, complex portrait of the ruling Aristo class of the Trader Empire and a deep look at differences in idealogy among the Traders, the Skolian Imperialate, and the Allied Worlds of Earth. I loved the in-depth discussion of slavery and just generally all the themes of this novel. Although I empathized more with Soz (from above) than Kelric, Asaro does a great job of characterizing the extensive family dynasties of her world(s). I did cheat by referring to the genealogy charts and chronological timeline in the back, because I can't resist spoilers. Even so, I was left with lots of questions: for instance, were Soz and Jaibriol II in love? I can think of several compelling reasons for them to hate each other, and yet... I can't wait to read Spherical Harmonic and the rest of Asaro's saga. I need to complete the loose ends. And that's the hallmark of an accomplished writer--I'm not a hardcore SF reader, but I'm drawn to and half in love with this series.

In general notes, I was annoyed at the repeated exposition in Ascendant Sun because I'd just finished The Final Key, but I completely understand why it's needed and how it'd be useful even to returning readers after a hiatus. It's a more than fair tradeoff. Shallow first impression: the cover art on Ascendant Sun was terrible (though accurate), while the hardcover's art was much better. Asaro's SF is highly recommended to experienced genre readers and interstitial book-lovers, though not as strongly for someone used to mainstream (the exposition and worldbuilding is necessarily heavy). I have one of her fantasy romance books in the queue, so a verdict on that will be delivered in the future.